ANAHEIM – A playoff series all about resiliency bounced back and forth in Game 5, bounced crazily like the puck sometimes does, waiting for someone, anyone to crack.

The Ducks trailed twice, tied the score twice, had a bunch of chances to win in regulation and at least as many chances to lose in regulation and then — SNAP!!! — went the Red Wings.

Nick Bonino beat Detroit in overtime Wednesday, beat them after defenseman Ben Lovejoy did most of the hard work.

One minute, 54 seconds into overtime, Bonino took Lovejoy's pass and found the open part of the Detroit goal for a 3-2 victory, 3-2 also being the Ducks' edge now in games in this best-of-7 series.

"He's a great opportunist," Coach Bruce Boudreau said of Bonino. "He's a heck of a player for us right now."

After he scored, Bonino turned and skated toward center ice, repeatedly lifting his arms, further imploring the crowd he had just lifted inside Honda Center.

If the Ducks are going to win this first-round series, it could happen Friday, in Game 6, at Detroit. Their next chance would come back here, Game 7, on Sunday.

No question, this team overachieved just to arrive here. To have everything end too soon might leave some people wondering if this lockout-shortened season even happened. It would be that hollow, that forgettable.

Thanks to Bonino and so many others, the Ducks now have two chances to eliminate a stubborn, proud franchise. Don't be surprised if it takes both chances to discard the Red Wings, who are down and nowhere near out.

The immediate problem is the Ducks have to board another airplane and head back to Detroit, where the Wings smothered them with possession time in Game 4, an eventual overtime loss for the Ducks.

Joe Louis Arena hasn't been kind to many visitors, the Ducks included, although they've been better than most there in recent postseasons. On Friday for Game 6, the place will be good and gassed and the home team significantly revved.

And Justin Abdelkader will rejoin the series for Detroit, having served his two-game suspension for violently charging Toni Lydman in Game 3.

But the Ducks, seeded second in the Western Conference and a non-playoff team just a year ago, aren't exactly wilting under the weight of this series so far.

On Wednesday, there was Matt Beleskey poking a puck loose from his belly, Ryan Getzlaf buzzing in the offensive zone and grinding in the corners and Francois Beauchemin logging the heaviest minutes.

Goalie Jonas Hiller was exceptional, and the Ducks were credited with more shots on goal, hits and blocked shots.

One game after watching Detroit succeed by throwing everything but a Coney dog at Hiller, the Ducks came out pitching everything they could get their sticks on at Jimmy Howard.

And everything included themselves.

Saku Koivu and Corey Perry both were called for goalie interference after colliding with Howard, the latter power play resulting in the game's first goal, Johan Franzen putting the Red Wings up, 1-0, at 5:28 of the first period.

The Ducks, meanwhile, had Bobby Ryan hacking at Howard as he covered up one puck, Cam Fowler unleashing from the blue line and 12 players total getting shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes alone.

After one period, the Ducks had outshot the Red Wings, 18-9, but the score was even, 1-1, and a long game during which these teams never would be separated by much was just beginning.

Oh, how the Ducks had chances early. Teemu Selanne had Howard down and the puck within his reach but couldn't lift it over the goaltender. Daniel Winnik had a mini-breakaway but shot straight into Howard's body. Perry had the puck and enough space but couldn't beat Howard on the glove side.

The Ducks continued pressing, pushed back against the surging Red Wings and refused to be discouraged or denied.

Good thing. Once they gain control, the Red Wings can be as difficult to separate from the puck as the cold is to separate from the ice. Their patience is potent as they circle from the top of the zone to down low and everywhere in between.

For stretches of Game 5, the Red Wings had the Ducks twirling and reaching and twirling some more, following the puck from Wing to Wing, desperately trying to maintain position in front of Hiller.

But the Ducks survived, just like they survived a 5-minute boarding major on Winnik, a 15-shot second period by Detroit and a four-on-four situation late in the third period during which Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk looked even more dangerous than normal. If that's possible.

The Ducks survived, that's what they did, until the opportunity showed itself, from Lovejoy to Bonino.

They never had the lead Wednesday until it mattered most — when Game 5 was over.

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